Map of the Heart
by corset-rebellion-follower
Summary: Hermione stole the Marauders' Map from Harry. She spots Fred Weasley on the map and decides to go find him. Little does she know, Fred is harboring a secret. One that could change Hermione forever. FredHermione. Oneshot. Takes place during 3rd year.


Map of the Heart

By corset-rebellion-follower

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

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Hermione stared at the piece of parchment in her lap. The tip of her wand was glowing, and it cast a shadow along the common room. Harry had shown it to her earlier, when they were in Hogsmeade, but she never really got a good look at it. So she had snuck into the boys' dormitories and stolen it. But it was completely blank. She didn't know how to use it. Harry had told Ron how to use it, but not her. And right now she could kill him in his sleep for it.

Now it was really late, but she still couldn't sleep. _I swear, I won't sleep until I figure out how to use this. _She kept unfolding it, but nothing appeared. It seemed to go on forever. "What're you doing down here this late at night?" Hermione turned around.

George was standing behind her, still half asleep.

"I was just looking at this." He saw the blank parchment. His eyes widened. "How did you get that?" "I stole it from Harry. How does it work?" she asked, still staring at the paper. "I… don't know. Why are you asking me?" he asked in a strained voice. "Harry told us that you and Fred gave him the map. How does it work?" she asked again. George exhaled sharply. _Now I have to tell her. Thanks a lot Harry._

He circled over and sat on one of the arms of the chair she was sitting in and pulled out his wand. "All you have to do is tap it and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'," he explained, tapping the parchment. The map suddenly appeared. "Wow. Is this a map of Hogwarts?" she asked. "Yes. Where everyone is, what they're doing, everyday, all day. By the way, if you're going to go out and use it, there is something you should know. When you're finished, just tap it again and say 'mischief managed' or anyone can look at it," he explained.

She smiled and nodded.

"And if you go, could you look for Fred? I woke up and he wasn't in his bed." She looked up at him. "Are you sure? That doesn't seem like… ok that does seem like Fred. But what doesn't seem like him is that he didn't tell anyone," she said quietly. George nodded. "Not that I'm saying you should go. I'm just saying because you have the map. Good luck."

He went back up to the boys' dormitories.

She unfolded a part of the map. It was the section that pictured the astronomy tower. A label with feet next to it read, "Fred Weasley." She sighed. _I guess I should go get him. _She stood up and exited through the portrait hole. With the tip of her wand still glowing, she made her way down the hall. She kept checking the map to make sure he was still there. Fred's feet and label stayed put.

_I hope he's ok. _She ran up the stairs to the astronomy tower. The door was firmly closed and locked. She whipped out her wand. "Alohamora." The door unlocked. She carefully opened the door and peered inside. There was a huddled body in the corner. She crossed the room over to it. Whoever it was had flaming red hair.

_Fred. _

She sat down next to him. He didn't move. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly. He looked up. His eyes were red and puffy. "I'm fine." She could barely hear him. "Really? Because you're a bit quieter than I'm used to. And your eyes are all puffy. What happened?" He looked into her chocolate brown eyes. "I found out that the girl I like likes someone else."

She tried to smile a little. "That's too bad. But… whoever that girl is, she's really missing out." He looked up at her. "She doesn't even know I like her. I never got the guts to tell her." He paused. "How did you know I was up here?" She pulled out the map. "By this." He smirked a little. "I'm guessing Harry told you about it," he said. She nodded.

"So… who's the lucky girl?" He looked at her. "She's not as old as me. She's younger. About a year and a half." Hermione nodded. "That's not too bad." He smiled. "Yeah. And she's really pretty. She has the brightest smile," he described. Hermione felt a pinch in her heart.

_Am I… jealous? This is Ron's older brother!_

"What's the girls name? She's really missing out. You're a great guy." She could feel a blush creeping across her cheeks. _I can't believe I just said that._

Fred smiled and looked out of a nearby window. The stars glittered back, as if they were winking at him. "Don't the stars look great? They seem really bright from up here," he pointed out. She looked out the window too. They did seem brighter. "Well, things in the night sky do look better from the _astronomy _tower," she teased. He turned away from the window and smiled at her. "You're really funny when you want to be. Maybe you have a hidden prankster somewhere deep inside of you." She smiled back.

"Doubt it. I'm too much of a workaholic to be a prankster. But, getting back to our earlier subject before you changed it, who's the girl you like?" she asked thoughtfully. He leaned closer to her. She could feel him steadily breathing on her face, causing her to blush harder.

"It's you."

Her eyes widened. He leaned in further and gently pressed their lips together. Hermione shivered from the kiss. He smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed. She hadn't been this relaxed in a long time. For once in her life, she wasn't thinking anything. She was just kissing. Just kissing. She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. They had to break apart, both desperate for air to breathe.

Hermione was wide-eyed. Fred looked at her hopefully. "I… I never knew. Wait, who do you think I like?" she asked, snapping back into reality. "I, um, I thought you liked Ron."

Hermione giggled a little and smirked. "I don't like Ron. At least not more than a friend. Sure, we've had our awkward moments, but it's not anything serious. Besides, I do like someone, but it's not Ron," she explained.

Fred hung his head in sorrow. "Who is it?"

She lifted his head to face her and leaned in. "It's you." She pressed a simple, sweet kiss on his lips. When she broke the kiss, he smiled. "You really shouldn't play with people's emotions like that." She shrugged. "Just my way of releasing the prankster within."

They both smiled at each other before meeting in another kiss.

The End.


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